God’s Power Tools – #5
God has given us a voice to speak forth His written Word. With our voice we are to proclaim the wonder of the Creator. The love of Christ compels us to give voice to the Good News of God’s salvation. Our fifth power tool, our voice, is an old tool but it has an amazing power to capture the interest of those we want to listen.
“Until very recently in human history, most people could neither read nor write . . . spoken language was the only practical way to warn someone that there might be a snake in a nearby bush. Perhaps as a result, human hearing and speech have evolved together to the point that we have an extraordinarily well-developed ability to perceive even subtle nuances in the human voice, and to vocalize in ways that can exploit our hearing abilities.” http://msp.ucsd.edu/syllabi/170.13f/course-notes/node5.html
Bible teachers are messengers. We cry out the most severe warning. We declare the most profound truth. We herald the greatest news on earth. But, do we use our voices as the power tools that God intended?
God’s voice, created this vast universe.Psalm 33:6 (The Net Bible) By the Lord’sdecree the heavenswere made;by a mereword from his mouthallthe starsin the sky were created.
God’s Word in written form, has endured the passing of time and remains forever.Isa 40:8 (The Net Bible) “The grass dries up, the flowers wither, but the decree of our God is forever reliable.”
God’s living Word is living in us! Colossians 1:27 (The Net Bible) “. . . the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
God Himself longs to speak through our voice when we are teaching. He wants to use every sigh, every whisper, every burst of passion, or cry of angry defiance that He can muster in us as we make the written Word of His story come to life for these little ones.
Never be embarrassed to let the Spirit of God use your voice, in all its amazing nuances, to speak forth His truth to the children. It is a powerful tool that is truly underdeveloped by most teachers. By using the slightest to greatest changes in your voice you can activate a child’s mind so that they listen with rapt attention to the living story of God.
This world is deaf and blind to truth. God longs to use your voice to capture their interest so that His truth is heard. Your captivating voice will open their minds to allow the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God to shine unto them.
You don’t have to be an actor or even an extrovert to be a great teacher. You just need to practice using your voice as a tool to give expression and life to a story that is truly already living. You need to believe that life and death are on the tip of your tongue.
Suzi Ciliberti
Suzi Ciliberti works for Christar, a Missions Agency that plants churches among least-reached Asians worldwide. She served in Japan for two years as a single missionary and another nine with her husband and two children, then the family returned to the states. She and her husband have been serving in the US Mobilization Center since 2000. As a part of the Member Care Department, Suzi is consultant to families with children. She has been working as a children’s teacher since she was 17 and began her training under Child Evangelism Fellowship. She has taught in the church, as a school teacher for two years in a Christian elementary school, and as a speaker for adults training to work with children. She has also trained children, who are a part of families that work overseas, in their identity in Christ. She brings 44 years of teaching experience to her work. She loves creative writing as well as teaching and has found great fulfillment in combining the two as she blogs for Heartprints. She finds it a great privilege and joy to serve the Lord and His people. One of her favorite verses is Deuteronomy 4:10b, "Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children."
